


A Favour

by orphan_account



Category: Castle
Genre: F/M, Gen, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-17
Updated: 2012-03-17
Packaged: 2017-11-02 02:38:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/364078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Martha makes a phone call.  Vague Linchpin spoiler.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Favour

**Author's Note:**

> Pre-series speculation based on that line from _Linchpin_ , which will probably be rendered obsolete by anything we subsequently learn about Papa Castle. 
> 
> Part of my Big Bang submission for Castleland on LiveJournal.

There was a soft click as the line connected.    
  
“Yes?”  His greeting was as abrupt as she’d expected.    
  
“Alex.”  She spoke softly, addressing him by the only name he’d ever given her, and one that she’d long ago concluded was fake.    
  
“What do you need?”  Straight to the point, as usual.    
  
“It’s about Richard.  He’s had another book published.”    
  
“Yes.”  No emotion, no hint of pride or derision.  Nothing.    
  
“He’s working on a new idea, thinks he can make it into a series.  Mystery novels about a PI and a government agent.  He’s good, Alex, really good.  But it can’t all come out of his imagination.  He needs...”  She waved a hand as she searched for the words, although she knew he couldn’t see it over the phone.  “Details.  Inspiration.  Realism.”    
  
“What do you want me to do?”    
  
“He’s been trying to get in to the CIA-”  
  
“But-”  Finally, an emotional response.  Anger, as she’d expected, so she hurried to reassure him.    
  
“Oh, calm down, not like that.  He just wants access to someone who can show him what the life of a female agent within the CIA is really like.  He’s got no chance on his own, they won’t even talk to him, and I know you’re not without influence.”  She twisted the cord of the phone around the fingers of her free hand.  This was probably the biggest favour she’d ever requested of him and she had no idea whether it would be granted.    
  
There was silence on the other end of the line.  She could barely even hear him breathing.    
  
It was time to play the final card at her disposal.  “He’s trying to make a contact for himself, in his usual discrete manner, so of course he’s drawing attention to himself and-”    
  
“Fine.”  A huff of breath.  “I’ll make some calls.  Get someone to contact him.”    
  
“Oh, excellent.”  The cord unravelled as she released it.  “I knew you’d be able to help.”    
  
“Just don’t-”    
  
“Yes, yes.”  She cut him off again.  “He won’t hear about it from me.  Do you think I want him to know I’m pulling in favours for this?  He’s determined to make his own way, just like someone else I used to know.  He wouldn’t accept my help if I offered it, and he doesn’t even know you.”    
  
There was silence again but she hadn’t really expected a response to her mild rebuke.    
  
“His books are good, Martha.”    
  
Finally.  There it was.  Her hand rose to her chest.    
  
“ _In a Hail of Bullets_ was really something.”    
  
That was the voice of the man she’d fallen in love with and lost in a single night.    
  
Then there was just the hum of the dialling tone.    
  
 **End**


End file.
